TO:  North Central Michigan College Employees

FROM:  David Roland Finley, Ph.D., President

It is the aim of North Central Michigan College to help lead our region’s economic recovery amid the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Having made the transition to online classes and telework in mid-March, our focus has turned to safely reopening the College to employees, students, and community members, in that order.  As such, I am announcing the following update.

Stay-at-Home Order Lifted, Restrictions Remain

On June 1, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order No. 2020-110, which lifted Michigan’s stay-at-home order and announced that it was “reasonable and necessary” to move to Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan.

Draft Reopening Plan for College Employees

North Central Michigan College’s Phased Reopening Grid and its companion documents (located in SharePoint > HR > Covid-19 Communications) were crafted to ensure that we remain committed to our team members’ safety, while continuing to provide our students with the personalized attention they expect from North Central.

As you review the grid, please be mindful that the College is currently operating under Phase 2, moving to Phase 3 if and when indicators support doing so.  It is also important to note that North Central’s reopening phases are informed by, but do not mirror, the phases outlined in Gov. Whitmer’s MI Safe Start plan.

Finally, our reopening plan was crafted with the knowledge that increased spread of the virus, changes to Gov. Whitmer’s executive orders, and/or the recommendations of local health officials could necessitate moving backward a step.  Reopening the College will be more comparable to sliding a dimmer switch than flipping an ON/OFF switch.  Flexibility and resilience, both of which our campus community has displayed in spades, will be required for a successful reopening.

Next Steps for Employees

Please review the draft documents and provide feedback to your supervisor, Lynn Eckerle or Lea Dietzel by end-of-business (EOB) on Tuesday, June 9th.  I will then ask that the Campus Security Committee review the updated documents before forwarding them to our Board Personnel Committee, which meets on June 16.  The Personnel Committee will present the reopening plan for consideration and action by the full Board on June 23.

SafeColleges has assigned mandatory training for all College employees that must be completed online prior to a return to campus.  Information about the two Covid-19 training modules will be forthcoming from Lynn Eckerle and should be completed by all employees as soon as possible.

North Central is continually monitoring and evaluating College operations based on the latest information and recommendations from local, state and national health experts and officials regarding mitigating the spread of Covid-19.  To streamline communications, the North Central website remains the vehicle for all Covid-19 updates. 

As always, I thank you for your good work on behalf of the learners at North Central.